Dreaming in Indian: Contemporary Native American Voices ( 2016)

Edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale.

“A powerful and visually stunning anthology from some of the most groundbreaking Native artists working in North America today.

Truly universal in its themes, Dreaming In Indian will shatter commonly held stereotypes and challenge readers to rethink their own place in the world. Divided into four sections, ‘Roots,’ ‘Battles,’ ‘Medicines,’ and ‘Dreamcatchers,’ this book offers readers a unique insight into a community often misunderstood and misrepresented by the mainstream media.

Emerging and established Native artists, including acclaimed author Joseph Boyden, renowned visual artist Bunky Echo Hawk, and stand-up comedian Ryan McMahon, contribute thoughtful and heartfelt pieces on their experiences growing up Indigenous, expressing them through such mediums as art, food, the written word, sport, dance, and fashion.”

The legacy of human rights violations experienced by First Nations people still reverberate today,” said artist Nicholas Galanin, whose solo exhibition “Kill the Indian, Save the Man,” explores this topic and more when it opens Feb. 5, 2016 at the Anchorage Museum.

Born in Sitka, Alaska, Galanin (Tlingit/Unangax) has trained in traditional as well as contemporary approaches to art. Adaptation and resistance, exaggeration and lies, dreams and memories are recurring themes in Galanin’s work. He draws upon a wide range of Indigenous technologies and global materials when exploring ideas through his art. “His work challenges the appropriation of Native culture and depiction of Indigenous peoples in popular culture,” wrote Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale in the book Urban Tribes: Native Americans in the City.

Galanin’s exhibition at the Anchorage Museum “unites respect, relationship and a homage to our communities, a harmony with land and environment, and a history of survival through sculptural installation, sound, moving image, performance, collaboration and adornment,” said Galanin in an artist statement. “These works dissect, reconnect and map the real history of settler violence as experienced by First Nations peoples.”

“Kill the Indian, Save the Man” includes collaborations with other artists, including Jerrod Galanin under the pseudonym Leonard Getinthecar, and No Pigs In Paradise with Nep Sidhu.

“…No Pigs In Paradise speaks to an understanding of the specific histories of First Nations’ women and a clear understanding of women as essential to the restoration of First Nations’ societies. First Nations women are reaffirmed as the integral component to the reestablishment of balance and harmony. The path exists and the end goal is clear. The right path in this instance starts with protecting the women – leveraging ornament, textile, ceremony, incantation so they can be prepared to lead their families, communities and societies to an exalted, harmonious and prosperous status quo.”

In correlation to my previous post, here’s some Natives that inspire me to do what I do! I’ll do another longer list of “Inspirational Natives” in the near future. Natives who have amazing accomplishments deserve to be celebrated! So here are a few incredible ladies I look up to (I did this up quickly, I’ll probably come back to edit it to make it longer lol)

Suzette was a contestant on Big Brother Canada season 1. Around that, she has an award-winning radio show called ThinkNDN that I’ve been binge-streaming lately. She’s a seasoned radio/social media veteran and makes me want to do better in my own radio show position.

Who doesn’t know Ashley?! The new Mrs. Universe took over social media by storm by using her platform to raise awareness on indigenous issues and equality for Native women all over Canada. Oh, and she was the covergirl for Chatelaine.

They’re sisters who have played for the University of Louisville Cardinals, inspiring all little native athletes all over the world. Also Shoni had a documentary made about her journey to Louisville (Off the Rez) and she made the WNBA (New York Liberty). Jude released a book (Dreamcatcher) and was named in the Top 10 College Women in GLAMOUR Magazine.

If you’re a jingle dress dancer (or a pow wow fan in general) you’ve heard of Acosia Red Elk. She’s the 8x World Champion jingle dress champion at the Gathering of Nations. She’s every contemporary jingle dress dancer’s hero! On top of that, she’s a Buti Yoga instructor in Oregon.

Thank you ladies for inspiring me to do better in my career and health! I know you all inspire others too <3

Also, here’s some other great blogs/resources filled with Native content that I like:

November is Native American Heritage Month so many people look for books
featuring Native people during this time of year. For November and all
year round, this list is filled with some excellent books by Native
authors.

Young, urban Natives powerfully show how their culture and values can survive—and enrich—city life.

Much of the popular discourse on Native Americans and Aboriginals
focuses on reservation life. But the majority of Natives in North
America live off the rez. How do they stay rooted to their culture? How
do they connect with their community?

Urban Tribes offers unique insight into this growing and often
misperceived group. Emotionally potent and visually arresting, the
anthology profiles young urban Natives from across North America,
exploring how they connect with Native culture and values in their
contemporary lives. Their stories are as diverse as they are. From a
young Dene woman pursuing a MBA at Stanford to a Pima photographer in
Phoenix to a Mohawk actress in New York, these urban Natives share their
unique perspectives to bridge the divide between their past and their
future, their cultural home, and their adopted cities.

Unflinchingly honest and deeply moving, contributors explore a
wide-range of topics. From the trials and tribulations of dating in the
city to the alienating experience of leaving a remote reserve to attend
high school in the city, from the mainstream success of Electric Pow wow
music to the humiliation of dealing with racist school mascots,
personal perspectives illuminate larger political issues. An innovative
and highly visual design offers a dynamic, reading experience.

Margaritte is a
sharp-tongued, drug-dealing, sixteen-year-old Native American
floundering in a Colorado town crippled by poverty, unemployment, and
drug abuse. She hates the burnout, futureless kids surrounding her and
dreams that she and her unreliable new boyfriend can move far beyond the
bright lights of Denver that float on the horizon before the daily
suffocation of teen pregnancy eats her alive.

Lewis “Shoe” Blake is used to the joys and difficulties of life on
the Tuscarora Indian reservation in 1975: the joking, the Fireball
games, the snow blowing through his roof. What he’s not used to is white
people being nice to him — people like George Haddonfield, whose family
recently moved to town with the Air Force. As the boys connect through
their mutual passion for music, especially the Beatles, Lewis has to lie
more and more to hide the reality of his family’s poverty from George.
He also has to deal with the vicious Evan Reininger, who makes Lewis the
special target of his wrath. But when everyone else is on Evan’s side,
how can he be defeated? And if George finds out the truth about Lewis’s
home — will he still be his friend?

Acclaimed adult author Eric Gansworth makes his YA debut with this
wry and powerful novel about friendship, memory, and the joy of rock ‘n’
roll.

A post-Apocalyptic YA novel with a steampunk twist, based on an Apache legend.

Years ago, seventeen-year-old Apache hunter Lozen and her family
lived in a world of haves and have-nots. There were the Ones — people so
augmented with technology and genetic enhancements that they were
barely human — and there was everyone else who served them. Then the
Cloud came, and everything changed. Tech stopped working. The world
plunged back into a new steam age. The Ones’ pets — genetically
engineered monsters — turned on them and are now loose on the world.

Lozen was not one of the lucky ones pre-C, but fate has given her a
unique set of survival skills and magical abilities. She hunts monsters
for the Ones who survived the apocalyptic events of the Cloud, which
ensures the safety of her kidnapped family. But with every monster she
takes down, Lozen’s powers grow, and she connects those powers to an
ancient legend of her people. It soon becomes clear to Lozen that she is
not just a hired gun. As the legendary Killer of Enemies was in the
ancient days of the Apache people, Lozen is meant to be a more than a
hunter. Lozen is meant to be a hero.

A powerful and visually stunning anthology from some of the most groundbreaking Native artists working in North America today.

Truly universal in its themes, “Dreaming In Indian” will shatter
commonly held stereotypes and challenge readers to rethink their own
place in the world. Divided into four sections, ‘Roots, ‘ ‘Battles, ‘
‘Medicines, ‘ and ‘Dreamcatchers, ‘ this book offers readers a unique
insight into a community often misunderstood and misrepresented by the
mainstream media.

Emerging and established Native artists, including acclaimed author
Joseph Boyden, renowned visual artist Bunky Echo Hawk, and stand-up
comedian Ryan McMahon, contribute thoughtful and heartfelt pieces on
their experiences growing up Indigenous, expressing them through such
mediums as art, food, the written word, sport, dance, and fashion.
Renowned chef Aaron Bear Robe, for example, explains how he introduces
restaurant customers to his culture by reinventing traditional dishes.
And in a dramatic photo spread, model Ashley Callingbull and
photographer Thosh Collins reappropriate the trend of wearing ‘Native’
clothing.

Whether addressing the effects of residential schools, calling out
bullies through personal manifestos, or simply citing hopes for the
future, “Dreaming In Indian” refuses to shy away from difficult topics.
Insightful, thought-provoking, and beautifully honest, this book will to
appeal to young adult readers. An innovative and captivating design
enhances each contribution and makes for a truly unique reading
experience.

“The hour has come to speak of troubled times. It is time we spoke of
Skullyville.” Thus begins Rose Goode’s story of her growing up in
Indian Territory in pre-statehood Oklahoma. Skullyville, a once-thriving
Choctaw community, was destroyed by land-grabbers, culminating in the
arson on New Year’s Eve, 1896, of New Hope Academy for Girls. Twenty
Choctaw girls died, but Rose escaped. She is blessed by the presence of
her grandmother Pokoni and her grandfather Amafo, both respected elders
who understand the old ways. Soon after the fire, the white sheriff
beats Amafo in front of the town’s people, humiliating him. Instead of
asking the Choctaw community to avenge the beating, her grandfather
decides to follow the path of forgiveness. And so unwinds this tale of
mystery, Indian-style magical realism, and deep wisdom. It’s a world
where backwoods spiritualism and Bible-thumping Christianity mix with
bad guys; a one-legged woman shop-keeper, her oaf of a husband, herbal
potions, and shape-shifting panthers rendering justice. Tim Tingle—a
scholar of his nation’s language, culture, and spirituality—tells Rose’s
story of good and evil with understanding and even laugh-out-loud
Choctaw humor. — Cover images and summaries via Goodreads

Book Description: A powerful and visually stunning anthology from some of the most groundbreaking Native artists working in North America today.

Truly universal in its themes, Dreaming In Indian will shatter commonly held stereotypes and challenge readers to rethink their own place in the world. Divided into four sections, ‘Roots,’ ‘Battles,’ ‘Medicines,’ and ‘Dreamcatchers,’ this book offers readers a unique insight into a community often misunderstood and misrepresented by the mainstream media.

Book Description: Seventeen-year-old Dyna comes from a long line of risk-takers and is an avid thrill-seeker in her own right, until she takes a terrible fall and shatters her leg. Her life used to be about bike racing and rock climbing; now it’s about staying home, except for attending physical and group therapy sessions at the bizarre alternative healing center her mom has chosen. Dyna’s boyfriend saw her accident and supports her newfound desire for safety, but a young Iraq war veteran she meets at rehab challenges her to think about what she’s really avoiding in her old life and to take chances again—even with her heart.

Book Description: Jae Hwa Lee is ready to forget about immortals and move on with her life. Until the god of darkness, Kud, sends an assassin to kill her. She escapes with the knowledge that Kud is seeking the lost White Tiger Orb, and joins the Guardians of Shinshi to seek out the orb before Kud can find it. But Kud is a stronger and more devious god than Jae ever imagined. Jae is soon painfully reminded that by making an enemy of Kud, she has placed her closest friends in danger, and must decide how much she can bear to sacrifice to defeat one of the most powerful immortals in all of Korea.

Book Description: Sixteen-year-old Avery Roe wants only to take her rightful place as the witch of Prince Island, making the charms that keep the island’s whalers safe at sea, but her mother has forced her into a magic-free world of proper manners and respectability. When Avery dreams she’s to be murdered, she knows time is running out to unlock her magic and save herself.

Avery finds an unexpected ally in a tattooed harpoon boy named Tane—a sailor with magic of his own, who moves Avery in ways she never expected. Becoming a witch might stop her murder and save her island from ruin, but Avery discovers her magic requires a sacrifice she never prepared for.

“Lippert-Martin’s debut finds life in the oft-seen trope of lost memory—and even a somewhat plausible mechanism for bringing about the amnesia. Plausibility isn’t always the name of the game (the government rarely uses world-class architects for medical torture labs), but this is a very entertaining game for thriller fans. Sarah Ramos, 16, is undergoing focused memory-elimination treatments when her surgery is interrupted by a power outage, followed by an invasion of explosives-wielding commandos who are looking for her.” — Publishers Weekly

“Myers issues a rebellious call to action that chronicles how seven diverse teenagers respond to injustice in a globalized not-so-distant future. In 2035, giant multinationals control the world’s major resources, engineering positive economic growth by exploiting worldwide social inequity. Change-embracing Dominican computer whiz and Bronx native Dahlia Grillo, the narrator, is one of seven teens who resist. … Readers are left to question what actions are possible, what actions are needed and what actions are right in a world where inaction is an impossibility.A clarion call from a beloved, much-missed master.” — Kirkus, starred review

Book Description: Kami has lost the boy she loves, is tied to a boy she does not, and faces an enemy more powerful than ever before. With Jared missing for months and presumed dead, Kami must rely on her new magical link with Ash for the strength to face the evil spreading through her town.

Rob Lynburn is now the master of Sorry-in-the-Vale, and he demands a death. Kami will use every tool at her disposal to stop him. Together with Rusty, Angela, and Holly, she uncovers a secret that might be the key to saving the town. But with knowledge comes responsibility—and a painful choice. A choice that will risk not only Kami’s life, but also the lives of those she loves most.

“Eighteen-year-old Darcy drops her college plans and moves to New York to revise her soon-to-bepublished novel and start the second one. Meanwhile, in chapters that alternate with Darcy’s NYC adventures, her fictional protagonist, Lizzie, survives a near-death experience to find she has become a psychopomp, responsible for guiding souls to the afterlife. Westerfeld masterfully creates two divergent reading experiences (YA romance and fantasy horror) with two distinct yet believable voices. … this is a busy book, with content drawn from Gujarati culture and Indian religion—this book includes romantic entanglements, a charming lesbian love story, terrorism and justice, and insider references to the YA publishing and literature scene.” — Booklist, starred review

“For some time now, I’ve been waiting for Dreaming in Indian: Contemporary Native American Voices. Edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Leatherdale, it was getting buzz in Native networks on social media. …

”The publisher, Annick Press, tags it as being for young adults. Dreaming in Indian has a vibrancy I’ve not seen in anything else. A vibrancy that, perhaps, is characteristic of a generation at ease with technology and its tools… Native writers, that is at ease with technology and its use.“